Interview with Charles Henry Martin Wildblood

British officer served with 197th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Bty, 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, West African Artillery and as intelligence officer in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 11/1941-1/1943; served with 33rd Field Security Section, Intelligence Corps, 3rd Infantry Div in GB and North West Europe, 3/1943-5/1945; served as as Area Security Officer with Intelligence Corps in Brunswick, Germany, 1945-1946

REEL 1 Background in GB, 1919-1940: family; childhood in Birmingham; education and sporting activities at Kingswood School, Solihull, 1930-1937; school exchange trip to Ilfeld, Germany, 1936 inlcuding attending Berlin Olympics and hearing Adolf Hitler speech, opinion of Nazi school and propaganda, playing in football match against Ilfeld school team and publication of article in Birmingham Post Newspaper; description of school uniform worn while in Germany; period as student with Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge reading estate management, 1937-1940; reaction to declaration of Second World War whilst on holiday in Oban, 9/1939; mother's role in organising evacuation of school children from Birmingham; call-up for military service, 1940. Aspects of enlistment and training as gunner with Royal Artillery in GB, 1940: basic training to anti-aircraft battery at Devizes. REEL 2 Continues: story of arriving at camp in mother's car; opinion of barrack accommodation; duties as regimental runner. Aspects of period as officer cadet at No 124 Officer Cadet Training Unit, Royal Artillery at Llandrindod Wells, GB, 10/1940-5/1941: posting to officer cadet training unit, 10/1940; passing driving test on Scammell Lorry; commissioning, 5/1941. Aspects of period as officer with Anti-Aircraft Command in GB, 5/1941-10/1941: posting to anti-aircraft battery in Liverpool, 5/1941; duties as gun position officer; social life; role in trial of gunner for insubordination; move to RAF Watton; opinion of old 3 Inch Naval Guns used to defend RAF Watton; problem with firing new guns; posting to West Africa, 11/1941; voyage aboard troopship in convoy from Liverpool to Gibraltar; review of troops by Lord Gort at Gibraltar. Aspects of operations as officer with 197th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Bty, 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regt, West African Artillery in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 11/1941-1/1943: initial impressions of Freetown; inoculations; climate; role in operations against Vichy French forces in French West Africa; opinion of 3.7 Inch Anti-Aircraft Gun; posting as intelligence officer. REEL 3 Continues: role as intelligence officer and promotion to captain; organisation of counter-intelligence. Aspects of period as officer with 33rd Field Security Section, Intelligence Corps, 3rd Infantry Div in GB, 1943-1944: attending counter-intelligence course in Matlock, 1/1943-2/1943; Combined Operations training at Inverness, including the testing Duplex Drive Amphibious Tanks; duties as field security officer and involvement in planning for D-Day; chain of command; crossing English Channel in Landing Ship Tank, 5/6/1944-6/6/1944. REEL 4 Continues: Aspects of operations as officer with 33rd Field Security Section, 3rd Infantry Div in North West Europe, 7/6/1944-8/5/1945: problem of beach landing in Willys Jeep, Normandy, France, 7/6/1944; use of motorcycle to join Major Cedric Rowntree at Headquarters, 33rd Field Security Section; role in gathering intelligence from local civilians and identifying collaborators; story about recruiting French civilian mechanic as assistant; problem of being given false information; description of duties at headquarters and role in charge of Field Security sections and transport; importance of retrieving documents from German Gestapo and SS Security Service (SD) offices; story about German Army tank at night; posting to Brussels, Belgium, 9/1944; move into former Gestapo Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium; searching Philips Factory for German V1 Flying Bomb and V2 Rocket components; story about officer deserting post; story of being given present of sabotaged radio; rejoining main 3rd Infantry Div for crossing of River Rhine, Germany, 3/1945. Aspects of period as Area Security Officer in Brunswick, Germany, 5/1945-1/1946: promotion to Area Security Officer for Brunswick area, Germany; story of being Mentioned in Dispatches and receiving American Bronze Star. REEL 5 Continues: description of VE Day celebrations in Bremen, 8/5/1945; role as Area Security Officer; rank; daily life in post-war Germany; accommodation; off-duty activities; relations with German civilians; offer of Class B demobilisation and return to GB, 1/1946; post-war life and employment in GB. Reflections on military service in Second World War: personal morale; importance of training; reaction to order from Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery requiring officers to attend church; opinion of non-fraternisation policy in post-war Germany; marriage and family life. REEL 6 Continues: further memories of family life.